Thursday, November 16, 2006

All In The Details

For those hankering for some “real” race shop news, here’s an informative piece to satisfy your craving. Do you know what a wheel band is? Maybe not, but if you’re mildly race literate then you know that hundredths of a second can separate the race hero from the race zero. Fabricator Phil knows it because he’s been hanging bodies (slang for attaching sheet metal to a race car) and grinding sheet metal for five years. Attention to detail is everything, even when it comes to something as simple as a “wheel band.” The wheel band is a narrow piece of sheet metal that’s used to line the rim of all four wheel openings. It’s welded on every inch and a half to keep it in place, and then grinded (see Phil and his grinder) to smooth down the tacks. Sure, the smooth surface makes the wheel band look prettier, but more importantly, it’s one more detail that helps ensure the car passes template inspections.